Life—or childhood, at least—would have been simply un-bear-able without teddy bears, am I right? What other toy so effectively soothes us when we’re unhappy, or makes for a truer companion on picnics, tea parties, and other adventures? And since this is an industry blog, we should also point out that teddy bears are a perennial seller among audiences of all ages: Toddlers may receive them for their first toys, but so do young adults as college graduation presents; and grown-ups as birthday gifts, Valentine’s Day tokens, and souvenirs. [Read more...]

Sanrio, Inc. has signed a new licensing agreement with Fiesta to produce a collection of plush toys for the prize redemption market, featuringHello Kitty and other iconic Sanrio characters. The agreement is effective immediately.

The initial offering of prize redemptionplush toys will include Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru, Chococat, Keroppi, My Melody, and TuxedoSam in six different sizes, ranging from 6.5 inches to 27.5 inches. These products are licensed for distribution in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and will be available in various theme parks, crane vending machines, fairs, carnivals, water parks, and arcades. Theme park distribution will include Six Flags Theme Parks, Cedar Fair Theme Parks such as Cedar Point, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Universal Studios, to name a few.

The Sanrioplush toys will be available in July and pre-booking orders are available now.

Fiesta Toy is partnering with Skelanimals, LLC to produce and distribute plush toys featuring the Skelanimals characters. The plush toys will be distributed to the U.S. amusement and games market. Fiesta’s 2011 Skelaminals plush selection features Marcy the monkey, Jack the rabbit, Dax the Dog, and Kit the cat.

New Products

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE), TT Games, and The Lego Group will launch Lego Worlds on Feb. 21 for PlayStation4, Xbox One, and STEAM. The game is a galaxy of imaginative words made entirely of digital LEGO bricks where players can explore, discover, and create together.

TILT launched two SpinTales products online at Toysrus.com, the SpinTales Enchanted Duvet and Jungle Rug. Kids can use the free app designed for these products to create immersive augmented reality experiences with the products, which blur the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds.

Jakks Pacific has been granted the rights to manufacture and market a line of pet products inspired by the BOO—The World’s Cutest Dog brand. The Pets division of Jakks is planning a line of BOO-branded dog toys featuring BOO’s likeness and specially designed for small dogs, as well as dog apparel, dog beds, and dog [...]

To celebrate “Colorful Friday” and the launch of the new Special Edition Gemma Stone Shoppie Doll, Moose Toys is launching the “Make the World Sparkle and Shine” fan contest. To enter the contest starting on Nov. 25, fans must submit 4 to 6 sentences describing how they add “sparkle” to their world by helping out [...]

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced the release of six expansion packs for LEGO Dimensions, led by the Sonic The Hedgehog Level Pack and the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Story Pack.